Eustress Is Good Stress (Ep #4, Part 2 of 3 on Managing Stress)

This is part 2 of 3 in a series on managing stress. We often have negative feelings associated with the word stress. When you hear someone say "I have been feeling very stressed lately at work" it generally makes you think of an undesired, negative stress that is causing unwanted strain. However, there is also a good kind of stress. Eustress is defined as positive, good, or beneficial stress. Eustress is the kind of stress that pushes us to the next level of performance or achievement when we need to get something done. Eustress can benefit us emotionally, psychologically, and physically. It might have caused you stress to meet the tight deadline, but in doing so you utilized eustress and achieved something that gives you the feeling of accomplishment. Having successfully met the deadline you now feel happy, motivated, and you will probably have more confidence in yourself the next time you face a tight deadline.
Exercising is another good example of eustress. It pushes your body to the limit, exceeding what is comfortable for you, and brings you to a new level of performance. After you exercise and recover, your body has now built endurance and stronger muscles for a better performance the next time. We were created to push the limits. We were created to strive for new heights and abilities. Sometimes we can only achieve our created intention by allowing ourselves to be stressed, and stretched, to new levels outside our normal comfort zones. 

---